Witness: Voices from the Holocaust

by Joshua M. Greene, Shiva Kumar, Lawrence L. Langer (Foreword)

"When the sun came up, it was not like the sun -- I swear to you! It was not bright. It was always red to me; it was always black to me. It never said, never, never was life to me. It was destruction! The sun was never beautiful." -- Edith P., survivor of Auschwitz and Salzwedel concentration camps "I was born on the train and I died on the train. I actually didn't know why I was there on the train and what was happening to us. I wasn't even alive. I wasn't there." -- Bessie K., age 19, deported 1943 "What I felt when the liberation came? That I am alone in the whole world....I had no desire to live. I had no place to go. I had nobody to talk to. I was just simply lost, without words." -- Hanna F., sole survivor of her family of five

Fifty-five years after the end of World War II, the Holocaust continues to cast a dark shadow. Historians, theologians, philosophers, and others have tried to explain how and why the Holocaust occurred, but their theories often give short shrift to the personal accounts of the individuals involved. For the past twenty years, the Fortunoff Video Archive at Yale University has sought to preserve the human side of this inhuman era by videotaping testimonies from those who lived through the Nazi era, a project that has led to an acclaimed documentary film and this extraordinary book. As the noted Holocaust scholar Lawrence L. Langer writes in his foreword, "Without survivor testimony, the human dimension of the catastrophe would remain a subject of speculation. The voices of the victimized provide us with an intimate glimpse of daily existence [and] furnish a version of the atrocity that the killers chose not to preserve." In Voices from the Holocaust, Joshua M. Greene and Shiva Kumar weave a single and compelling narrative from the first-person accounts of twenty-seven witnesses, including Jews, Gentiles, Americans, a member of the Hitler Youth, a Jesuit priest, resistance fighters, and child survivors. They tell stories of life under the Nazis, in the ghettos, concentration camps, and death camps, and they recount the mixed emotions that accompanied liberation and persisted in the years following the Holocaust. Their experiences reveal what it is like to live in a world where there were no clear moral options, and most choices were between bad and worse; even for those who survived, there were no happy endings. The vivid and detailed memories of these witnesses testify to the continuing impact of this human catastrophe, and their impassioned words lend immediacy to events that resonate to this day.

Genres: Holocaust, History, Nonfiction, World War II, War, Historical, Memoir

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Joshua M. Greene earned his M.A. at Hofstra University, where he taught Hinduism and Holocaust history until his retirement in 2013. His books on war crimes trials and survivor testimony have been published in six languages. He has spoken at the Pentagon, the Judge Advocates College, the New York Public Library Distinguished Author series, and lectures frequently before state bar associations. In 1969, he was initiated as Yogesvara Das by HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and spent 13 years in Krishna temples, serving as director of ISKCON’s European publishing office. His books on spirituality include Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison and Gita Wisdom: An Introduction to India’s Essential Yoga Text. His most recent book is a biography of Srila Prabhupada, titled Swami in a Strange Land: How Krishna Came to the West. Greene is also a filmmaker whose Holocaust documentaries have aired on PBS, The Disney Channel, and Discovery.

Reviews

[lexi🤍 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

Every so often, I think about the atrocities that have been committed against other human beings and I wonder how the so-called human beings that inflict such suffering are able to live with themselves in the aftermath.

This nonfictional narrative of Holocaust survivors is as haunting as it is beautiful to know that these people were able to survive one of the most devastating atrocities in human history; really, it stuns me.

Six million Jewish men, women, and children (and millions of countless others deemed undesirable) were sent to their deaths simply because a few men decided that the Jewish people were to blame for Germany’s defeat in WW1.

Six million. It’s an unfathomable rate of loss and a colossal crime against humanity and somehow, thousands of Nazis who were actual horrible human beings, got away with their crimes. Even now, in 2023, I see articles of former Nazis that have survived, in their early to late 90s, who appear in court and are charged with war crimes, their faces covered behind pieces of paper.

It astonishes me that the universe let such people survive this long when infants who’d barely gotten to know the world were killed simply because they were Jewish.

It is up to us as the younger generations to read these nonfictional pieces, and not even of just the Holocaust but of atrocities similar to the Holocaust that have happened all over the world. We keep the memories of the survivors alive and condemn their perpetrators for their cruelty, that is only a small piece of the justice these people deserve.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witness comes from the interviews of many Holocaust survivors and what they went through during this horrific time in history. Most of the interviews were given in the 1980s. Each person talks of their experiences,before the Holocaust, when it was starting, during the War, and afterwards. The chapter touch on when they started witnessing and enduring the prejudice against a person who was Jewish, how things started to change. the outbreak of War. Getting taken out of their homes and to a "Ghetto to live" Trying to hide and resist. Then taken to the concentration camps and what they endured there. A couple chapters focuses on the after the War. What became of them. Many felt very lonely since their relatives had been murdered. They felt going home was hard since there was no home. There were many interviews given for this book and many different voices to share about their experiences during this terrible time in history.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you could read this book without shedding a tear then you must be dead inside. ive read countless books on murder, war and the holocaust. This book comes across as so much more personal. There's so much more then dates, places and stats. Theres feeling and emotion, real words from real people. And its also extremely interesting. In all the books I've read on this subject i dont think i ever realized just how much a lot of these survivors still had to deal with after the liberation of the camps. A must read.

[Lottie Panebianco · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you could read this book without shedding a tear then you must be dead inside. I've read countless books on murder, war and the holocaust. This book comes across as so much more personal. There's so much more then dates, places and stats. There's feeling and emotion, real words from real people. And its also extremely interesting. In all the books I've read on this subject i don't think i ever realized just how much a lot of these survivors still had to deal with after the liberation of the camps. A must read.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book could easily be compared to a "Cliffs Notes" version of the Holocaust. With a concise chronological layout and salient points throughout, it is a fairly short read. But don't think because it won't take a month to read that it doesn't have substance; it does. For those seeking insight into what life was like for the Jews of Europe during the conquest of the Third Reich, this is an unvarnished record of the fear, the terror, and the resilience of those people. The recollections of survivors are graphic, poignant, and thought-provoking. This is an excellent resource to round out any study of World War II but, though many of the survivors were between the ages of 8 and 11 when they were interned, the horrific cruelty described makes this book inappropriate for children. Parents should review the book first and, if I may suggest, read it aloud and discuss. It's important that this not be forgotten.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of first hand experiences that emcompass the Holocaust and its aftermath. Vastly varied in terms of view points, all touching.

[Amy Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is hard to read. First of all, it follows a large number of people. It tells the stories in little snippets from each person, rather than an extended narrative for any one witness. I found that format a bit difficult, but it does pull together the commonality of their experiences and show different views of the same events or aspects of life during the Holocaust.

But mostly, the book is hard to read because of the pain. You can feel the pain these people experienced, not just in the concentration camps, but in the decades since. There is very little sense of triumph that they survived, more of overwhelming loss for all that was taken from them.

I've read about the camps and what the Nazis and SS officers did, so the witness accounts of their behavior wasn't shocking. What did surprise me was how cruel some of the ordinary people, friends and neighbors of Jews, turned out to be, and the pervasive antisemitism that persisted after the war. There were moments of kindness, righteous people among all that evil, but there were far too few.

This book is important because of its testimony of an entire nation devolved into evil. The witness accounts show us all that we can't deny the level of cruelty man is capable of. It happened. It could happen again. It is up to all of humanity to ensure that it doesn't. Not to the Jews. Not to anyone.

[LeahReadsStuff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible, searing, deeply horrifying experience. The range of people, and the direct and spoken word way that their stories are captured, brings a distinctly human face to the Holocaust. The included Hitler Youth stories help to illustrate the absolute horror that was being force fed as “instruction”.

None of this is easy to read. In fact, it’s incredibly difficult to stomach at times. That makes it all the more necessary to get through it. I cried. I felt sick. But more than anything, I felt the burden of needing to know. Especially in the current age, where so few actually know the truth of this, it feels imperative to give my time and my care to bearing witness.

Humanity is horrifying. The book ends with this quote: “But did we really learn anything? I don’t know. I don’t know if we learned anything. Or if we ever will. I don’t know.” I don’t know how you could walk away from this book without being changed by it.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did a quick review of this material in preparation for a Holocaust lesson in class. I've used this in several classes before and have always found it to be such a great resource. Chapters can be used in their entirety or certain witness accounts can be used in their entirety. There are many classroom applications, but it isn't a classroom textbook so it is accessible for readers who are interested in firsthand accounts from the Holocaust as well.
Highly recommend.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was stunning. Unbelievably powerful, it these stories pierced my soul. I captured the horror of the victims of the Holocaust (and even some of the bystanders) in a way I've never experienced it before. I did not "enjoy" the book, but it was incredibly powerful and heartbreaking. Every person on earth should read this.

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories told from personal experiences and memories give us penetrating voices of what it was like to live as a Jew and to die as a Jew in Nazi Europe. This is a personal portrait of those who experienced the terrors of the Holocaust.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically quotes and profiles of people in the Holocaust. I've read other things, but nothing gets quite so horrifying, real, graphic, horrendous. Powerful and sad and disturbing.

[Cindy Hindman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good representation of the horror and injustice that occurred

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like reading first-hand accounts for the survivors of the Holocaust. This was a compilation of so many. Very moving and gut-wrenching. God bless these warrior survivors.

[Leigh Ann Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. Hard at times, but well worth reading.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interviews from the Fortunoff Archive at Yale. Upsetting was the man who told people his memories until they asked him one day to tell another of his “bullshit stories”. He never told another.

[Jeannine Johannsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little difficult to read, as it bounces back and forth between people's stories, but all in all, a good read.

[Jess Morine · Rating 5 out of 5]

should be mandatory reading for any world history course!

[Amy Webster-Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

very sad and moving book, lots of stories told from different people about their lives before and after hitler

[Robin Reynolds]

Holocaust survivors tell their stories. A truly heartbreaking book.

[Carlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give “Witness: Voices From the Holocaust” by Joshua M. Greene and Shiva Kumar a 4 out of 5 stars. This book was nonfiction which is not something I normally read, but I surprisingly enjoyed it. I thought that all the testimonies were interesting to read because normally the Holocaust books I read are historical fiction. It was interesting to see how all of the different people’s lives intermingled. It was also really shocking to read about the terrible and inhumane events that the Jews had to face. I overall enjoyed the book, but sometimes got bored. I think that I would have enjoyed the book more if I could have listened to the original testimonies while following along in the book. I still would recommend this book to those who aren’t fans of nonfiction, but want to give it a try.

[Hayley V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chilling nonfiction book. It really gives the reader a better glimpse into that horror of history.

[Adisyn Grimm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witness Voices from the Holocaust by Joshua M. Greene and Shiva Kumar is a bunch of short stories told by people who witnessed and were a part of the Holocaust firsthand. Although each person's story is somewhat similar they are all completely different and each person tells you exactly how they were feeling and all the horrific things they had to experience. I’ve always had an interest in books that were based around the time of WWII, reading nonfiction books was always a struggle for me until I found these types of books that actually interested me so when I saw this book I knew it would be a breeze.

The book starts off with the witnesses just living their everyday lives, when they started to find out about the war and Hitler, most of them just thought it would blow over and be nothing too serious. Soon they realized it was very serious, so serious to the point where they had to start hiding. The people who they thought were their friends turned against them because they were Jewish. They got sent away and most of them got separated from their families and were surrounded by strangers. They talk about how their families and friends were murdered and the horrible living conditions they were put in, They talk about the death marches and how there were piles of dead people lying around and there was nothing they could do about it besides keep moving forward.

The ending was very relieving To know that all the people that were still alive escaped. Although it was sad that some of the children now had no families and had to become orphans, It was exciting to hear about the kids and people who got to reunite with their families after these struggling times. My favorite part of the book was probably the end when the American soldiers found them although the soldiers were devastated to see how malnourished and poorly treated the prisoners were, the prisoners were finally set free.

Personally, this book was very interesting and informative for me. Some similar books might be Survival In Auschwitz by Primo Levi or Defying Hitler by Sebastion Haffner. Some people who might like this book are anybody that's interested in books about the Holocaust or WWII.

[Tyler Kiley-ram · Rating 1 out of 5]

"They made me an animal and I'll act like animal" (Martin S., 156). This quote represents the dark times of the Holocaust. The fiction book I read was Witness: Voices from the Holocaust written by Joshua M. Greene and Shiva Kumar. This book shows over 60 different point of views from the Holocaust and investigates the lives of victims. Each point of view is unique and gives many different ways on the life of a Jew, P.O.W, and German citizen and solider. This book will keep you reading all the way to the end because of its horrific and suspenseful stories of the Jewish people.

These stories take place all over Europe and gives a good description on how harsh life was back then for the Jews. The Holocaust began after WW1 when the Germans lost. Hitler needed an excuse so he blames the Jews for their lost. This gave Hitler higher power which allowed him to become the füher (father in German). The book shows how Hitler dealt with the Jews. It also shows the little rights they had and how they were treated by people around them. I though this book was amazing and I could not put it down. Every story keeps you in suspense and makes you want to keep reading. I also like this book because it gives you more of a background on what the Holocaust was and how it all rolled out on what it had become.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes learning about history, likes suspense, irony, or horror. It really keeps you engaged and makes you wonder what you would have done in that situation. This book was great and really gives detail into the victims of the Holocaust. The book paints a stirring personal portrait of those who were in the Holocaust. This is my most favorite fiction book that I have ever read. I encourage you to pick it up and read it.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been interested in the Holocaust, but after visiting the U. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in D. C., I've picked up several books recounting the stories of survivors. This book includes bits and pieces of several survivors' stories, in chronoligical order. It was heartbreaking to read true accounts of the cruelty these people endured, but I also found the determination of these individuals in the face of such degradation very encouraging. This (and any survivor's) account of these events prove that the human spirit can endure a crushing weight and still be able to fly.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book was very heart touching. To hear first person accounts of the horror that went on in the camps is horrifying. Many of the entries you can put yourself and just catch a glimpse of what they had to go through. No matter what you wouldn't get the full feel that they felt unless it happened to you. The authors purpose was felt all throught the book, for these people's voices to be heard and for the public to actually know what happened to this whole group of people.

[LindaD · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I can never understand the depth of what was recorded in this book. I feel the need to try to face it, because some people can't or won't. I have to try to understand even though it's incomprehensible. I can't possibly help ease the burden by just reading or listening to this, can I? Well, I feel compelled to continue my reading and study of this period. Maybe I can be a better human being. Thank you for recording these tapes and publishing the book from the tapes. I needed to hear.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chilling. Disturbing. No one should hide their heads in the sand or deny what happened in Europe to the Jews and anyone who dared to help them. I never thought much about what happened after the Jews were liberated. People went through it shared this time period as well. It was not a happy reunion for them and the people they knew in their hometowns. They were outcasts. They were killed. They were beaten. They were shunned. Liberation was not as wonderful as I had imagined.

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting first-hand accounts from all walks of life, Jews, Nazi Youth, German and Polish citizens, telling the many horrific stories of the holocaust. It begins with pre-war life, to the Ghetto, then to boxcars, camps and death marches, on through to liberation. The final chapter covers the post-war trauma of the survivors and their collective need to tell the story of what happened to them and their families.

[Ana Itza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Demasiado crudo, muy real. Conocía la historia, los hechos en general, pero desconocía la deshumanización, los límites. Es un libro que engloba las experiencias por momentos y lugares, desde la forma de vida previo a la guerra, la propaganda, los guettos, los campos, las marchas y sobre todo, después de la liberación. Te permite entender más allá de los libros de historia el sufrimiento de miles provocado por unos cuantos.

Un libro que todos deberíamos leer.